Car crash: Don’t count on 911 for speedy help | Stu Bykofsky
Here’s another surprise: You can leave the scene of an accident.
When it’s a simple fender bender with no injuries, and no disabled vehicle, says
The captain and I are having a conversation following a February column concerning
Another case I reported involved DJ
I requested an interview with Police Commissioner
Cops respond according to priority, Kinebrew explains. There are seven levels of urgency for 911 calls, “assist officer” being the highest and car crashes being in the middle of the pack.
A summary of the rest:
Felony in progressDisturbance in public placeAuto accident, burglar alarmAuto operating recklessly, report of stolen autoAccident information request, pranksAbandoned auto, barking dogIn the eyes of the state, there are two types of auto crashes: Reportable and nonreportable.
Reportable involves injury or death, and also a call for a tow truck.
When there is no death, no injury and no towing, that does not get reported to the state.
What should you do if no one arrives after 911 is called?
You can go to the police district to file a report, but it must be the district in which the crash occurred. Police sent Minkoff to the wrong district.
Or you can call the district and make the report over the phone, says Kinebrew.
After I wrote about Minkoff’s situation, I heard from other motorists with similar complaints.
Last September,
“What gets my ire, is that the officer shows up at the hospital an hour later and states ‘What’s your version?’” without a word of greeting or sympathy, she says.
Last August,
Kinebrew says cops can’t always access privately owned cameras. But these were city cameras on light poles, Romano says.
In December,
“I am left feeling like no one can and will help,” says Minkoff, who filed a complaint with Internal Affairs.
I don’t have answers. While police must respond to crimes in progress, they mustn’t leave motorists stranded by the roadside feeling abandoned.
Are police understaffed? Are they improperly deployed? Can desk officers be sent out in a pinch?
These are command questions for the commissioner. I would have liked to ask him.
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